The Princess and the Pea

When I was a kid, I used to get a kick out of the story The Princess and the Pea. I actually was the princess in the family on my dad's side, since I was the only girl. When it came time to eat, I was super picky and I definitely did not do well with my vegetables, especially peas. Thank goodness my mom didn't make them often.
But Peas can be a great addition to your diet, and they are becoming more and more popular in the plant based food industry who have discovered that pea protein can be a key ingredient in highly convincing vegan meant and dairy alternatives. I myself who disliked them (not much anymore),  drink Arbonne's vegan protein shakes which are made from pea protein, cranberry and brown rice. They are absolutely delicious and contain 20 grams of vegan protein. Peas are a solid source of protein. While ingredients like pea protein and pea starch provide protein and stability properties for certain products, they don’t provide all the same nutritional benefits as split, frozen, or fresh peas eaten as whole foods. However, pea protein powder does tend to have a better amino acid balance compared to other plant-based protein powders like soy.The bottom line on pea protein: Whole foods are usually best, but if you’re looking for a good source of plant-based protein that has a decent amino acid profile and a light environmental impact, peas seem like a solid place to source it from

There are a few types of peas that you are probably familiar with: Sweet peas, Green or Yellow field peas, Snap Peas and Snow Peas.

There are a ton of different ways you can use them in your cooking as well, besides the boring mushy can of peas used as a side dish. 
I happen to love split pea soup and here's a tasty recipe perfect for the fall.

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Creamy Split Pea Soup

Ingredients
4 cups vegetable broth (unsalted, preferably homemade)
2 cups water
​ 2 cups dried green split peas (rinsed) 1 yellow onion, medium (chopped)
 1 cup carrots (chopped)
 2 organic celery stalks
 2 garlic cloves (minced)
 1 tbsp ground cumin
 ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
 1 tsp dried oregano
 1 tsp dried basil
 ground black pepper (optional, to taste)
 salt (optional, to taste)
 shredded carrots, for garnish (optional)
 fresh basil (chopped), for garnish (optional)

Directions
1. In a large stock pot, combine all ingredients together, from the vegetable broth down to the dried basil, and bring to a boil.
2 Reduce heat, cover and simmer for one hour or until peas are tender, stirring occasionally.

3 Add salt and pepper, if using, to taste.

4 Simmer for ten minutes longer, uncovered.

5 Cool slightly then, in small batches, puree soup in a blender. Return to the pot. Heat for five minutes. Garnish with shredded carrots and basil.


Enjoy!

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